Birmingham is one of the UK’s Air Quality Management Areas, which are places where there is concern the national air quality objectives may not be achieved. Road traffic, particularly during peak times such as rush hours, is one of the biggest pollutants in the region.

Birmingham is also planning to introduce a Clean Air Zone, which could involve charging drivers to enter it.

Programmes like the Winter Cycle Challenge help by giving people positive incentives to make changes to the way they travel. Eventually, that new behaviour should become the norm for them, without requiring external incentives.

Last year, participants in the Birmingham Winter Cycle Challenge collectively cycled 12,000 miles and burned around half a million calories. If each of those journeys replaced a trip in a car, they saved more than three tonnes of Co2e.

The Birmingham Winter Cycle Challenge will be available on the BetterPoints app in mid December.